His Little Princess
by Umayar
Summary: Prior to his marriage, when his brothers-in-law suddenly developed an unquenchable thirst for his blood, Shikamaru had been annoyed at their troublesome overreaction. Little did he know that one day he would be the one with the troublesome overreaction. A series of one-shots. Now completely AU. First published in 2013. Republished without any changes.
1. The Antagonist Appears

Engulfed in the silence of the night, a solitary man stood next to a window illuminated by the moonlight. In his arms he carried a blanketed bundle which contained a little girl, mere hours old. As the world lay peacefully slumbering around him, this lone soul, bearing a spiky ponytail and clad in a black attire under the standard dark-green jōnin vest, gazed keenly, yet adoringly, at his daughter as if to permanently etch her features in his mind. Known to the world as Shikamaru Nara, head of the Nara clan and the second most authoritative person in Konoha preceded only by the Hokage, he was amazed at the pure euphoria coursing through him at this moment. So against all his reason and reckoning was the intensity of this feeling, that it befuddled him completely. According to him, since he had already experienced something similar about two years prior when he held his screaming first born in his arms immediately after the infant's arrival in the world, he had expected to be less overwhelmed the second time. Yet, he felt apprehensive, content, and excited as if here were a new father.

This time, however, he was much more protective of his newborn as evident from his actions thus far. Ever since his daughter had entered the world bawling like her elder brother and placed in her father's arms, all cleaned and bundled-up, he had found it difficult to put her down. She seemed so petite to him, much smaller than her brother was, more delicate, and so helpless, that protectiveness flooded him. A sarcastic smile graced his lips. She might have appeared delicate and helpless at that moment, but he knew with time she would end up as confident, headstrong, and independent as her mother; such were the fates of the troublesome Nara women.

A slight whimper from the bundle in his arms brought his attention to the newest member of the Nara family. He rocked her gently trying to lull her back to sleep so her mother could get some more rest after her tiring ordeal earlier in the evening. Thankfully, the infant was not yet as obstinate as her mother and complied without a fuss. Shikamaru carefully placed her in the crib next to his wife ensuring that both his girls slept undisturbed and moved to occupy a nearby chair, so that he too could get some well-merited rest.

However, sleep evaded him on this joyful night and instead his thoughts ran rampant resurfacing his naive and juvenile plots as if to mock him. He had never entertained the possibility when he had, years earlier, planned out his life — step-by-step, clinically detailing every major and minor aspect — that his life could be so radically different. But destiny has a way of upsetting the most carefully devised strategies — a fact he was wholly aware of ever since he had decided to take up the job of the Hokage's advisor. To think that his immature scheme would not vary even after such a life-altering decision was foolish, Shikamaru knew, but he still hoped that he could bring the rest of his plan to fruition. Once again, fate decreed it impossible when he married Temari, a girl so unlike the bride he had thought he wanted but one that he loved immeasurably with his whole being. Now Shikamaru was absolutely certain that his plot was a failure, a fact further reinforced by his first born who was a boy. He directed a sardonic smile at his younger self, for now he wondered how he had managed to imagine his life with such detachment without ever considering his emotions. But, he was now older and wiser, and no longer relied on his juvenile plot because he knew that he could not fight fate. His last thought as he eventually drifted to sleep, cooled by the breeze wafting through the window, was that, perhaps, destiny would shock him once more, to which destiny would soon happily oblige.

* * *

By her first birthday, it was obvious Shika — who was named after much deliberation which involved the use of a large fan in enclosed spaces and Shadow techniques to prevent a house from collapsing — had her father wrapped around her little fingers. While Shikamaru always wore a bored and defeated expression and uttered his usual catchphrase, his actions towards his daughter betrayed his true feelings. He was often seen indulging her every whim and spending most of his free time with her. On the other hand, Shika, who had light brown hair, shining blue eyes, and features borrowed more from her mother than her father, was unmistakably daddy's little girl. She would follow him around and demand — and insist — that he take her with him everywhere he went, join her father and elder brother on their training sessions, lay next to him and watch the clouds drift by, and even join in when Rumi — Asuma and Kurenai's daughter — came over play shogi.

When Shika was two, she started displaying signs of her inherited genius and a penchant for mischief. Little by little her personality unraveled, and it was discovered she had inherited much from her parents. From her father, she got her talent for strategizing quickly and efficiently, and from her mother, her domineering attitude and stubbornness. Inside her battled for dominance laziness from her father's side and a thirst for adventure from her mother's side. In the end, the latter won by a margin reaffirming Shikamaru's earlier guess that she resembled her mother in more than just looks. Collectively, it made Shika a destructive toddler who always kept everyone on their toes.

By the time she was three, Shika's social circle had expanded considerably. It was then Shikamaru noticed the danger slowly creeping in. Her confident and adventurous nature combined with her shenanigans made her immensely popular especially among the little boys she would play with. To a genius, overprotective father as Shikamaru had instinctively become, it foretold of a greater danger that was to come in a few years. While at one time he had not given much thought to his daughter's future dating plans, now they left a bitter taste in his mouth. Since he was a boy once and thus knew all about the designs of hormonal teenage boys, he was against any of the over-eager buffoons — as he preferred to call them — coming near his little princess. Now that the thought of imminent danger was firmly rooted in his mind, no amount of logical reasoning — which a little voice of rationality provided him with — would silence the warning bells in his mind. He was aware it was too early to be overcautious, but he decided that his plan could only be effective, in this case, if he started implementing it from early on. With his decision made, he set about devising a method that would successfully protect his precious angel from the pesky buffoons.

One night, after he had futilely thought of — and discarded — many failed strategies despite his magnificent genius, he lay awake still thinking of the best way to achieve his goal. He thought back to how his brothers-in-law might have had a similar notion in their minds when they chased after him through Konoha after he had announced his intention to wed Temari. At that time he had deemed them to be overprotective and irrational, but now, in a similar position, he understood their concerns and begrudgingly acknowledged that there was nothing irrational about that episode.

It was at this moment, a plan began taking shape in his brain. He recalled that before his nuptials, Gaara and Kankuro, two of the strongest ninja of Suna, managed to bring him close enough to question himself on his decision to marry Temari. Shikamaru examined the effectiveness of the teamwork if the number of ninjas were increased. Obtaining a favorable result, he worked meticulously on his approach and steadily added in the details which polished the crude idea in to a strategy which seemed implementable and very effective.

He surmised that should the number of overprotective, extraordinarily skilled, and ruthless ninjas increase to four or five, even Temari or her mini-clone would have trouble going up against them regardless of the latter's penchant for being overbearing and incredibly willful. And with that many malevolent slayers surrounding his precious angel, even the strongest of the unrelenting buffoons would reconsider their decision of approaching her. Satisfied, he determined that a total of at least three sons — including his eldest — would suffice for his plot. His eldest, Shikamaru decided, he would instruct in the deadliest of the Nara techniques. As for his two younger — still non-existent — sons, he would send them to Suna to be trained under the tutelage of their manic, bloodthirsty uncles. This way, the exceptional skills from their training combined with their innate intellect would transform his progeny in to the most lethal assassins Konoha could offer.

Satisfied with the final shape of his scheme, Shikamaru smiled smugly to himself. It seemed this plot of his would yield the most successful results. Indeed, he required two more sons to accomplish it, but to him, it did not seem like a major obstacle. His predicament resolved, he turned over, put his arm around Temari, and closed his eyes allowing sleep to claim him. Tomorrow he would start executing his plan, which was extremely simple.

Now, all he needed to be cautious about was that Temari should never figure it out.

 **THE END**


	2. An Enemy of My Enemy

Shikamaru sat in his home peacefully enjoying a game of Shogi with his eldest son. Shika lay on her front beside him, happily drawing in her sketchbook. Temari was upstairs tending to their one year-old son. Kankuro was over from Suna for a diplomatic mission and was staying at the Nara home. He was currently in his room.

It was a peaceful evening and soon it would be bedtime for his kids. Shikamaru looked forward to laying down tranquilly even though he was not tired. Naruto had dismissed him early today because of his date with Hinata and his eagerness to go home.

Shikamaru made his final move defeating his son in yet another game when he heard a loud banging on the front door. The banging continued incessantly until he opened the door, annoyed at the unwelcome visitor.

He came face to face with a haggard, out-of-breath Hokage.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed looking over Shikamaru's shoulders his eyes darting left and right frantically. "Is he here?!"

"Is who here?" Shikamaru asked exasperated.

"Minato!" Naruto replied urgently. "Is he here? Is he with you?"

"No. Why would he be here?" Shikamaru said matter-of-factly.

Naruto uttered a loud expletive and turned around to gaze at the compound. Agitatedly, he turned back to his Chief Advisor.

"He's missing! I can't find him!" Naruto said in a frustrated tone, running his fingers through his disheveled hair.

"Wait. What do you mean missing?" Shikamaru inquired, curious about his friend's predicament.

"I don't know where he is." Naruto answered hastily, his voice taking on a crushed tone. "WE don't know where he is. He hasn't been home. His caretaker came home alone in the evening saying he could not find him! And we've been searching ever since!"

"Did you search the ramen store? Or one of his friend's houses? May be he went along with someone he knew." A feminine voice called out and the two men turned to come face to face with Temari.

"We've searched everywhere! I used Shadow Clones and searched the entire village. The Hyūgas are helping me out with _Byakugan_. But he's nowhere to be found!" Naruto answered.

"What about the training grounds? Or the outskirts of the village?" Shikamaru suggested observantly. His mind was already thinking up places a four year-old could disappear to.

"Tried them all. Even Kakashi-sensei is searching with his Ninja dogs. There is no evidence of him leaving the village." Naruto continued, holding his hands imploringly in front of friend. "What do I do? It's already night and we can't find him. Hinata is in hysterics. I'm running out of my mind! Help me, Shikamaru!"

"Where was he when his caretaker lost sight of him?" Shikamaru questioned with urgency.

"At the park." Naruto responded.

"Shika was at the park in the afternoon. May be she met him?" Temari suggested helpfully. "I'll go get her."

Shikamaru invited Naruto in and closed the door behind him while Temari brought out Shika.

"Shika-chan." Naruto addressed the little girl, kneeling so he could be close to her height. "Did you meet Minato at the park today?"

"Minato-kun?" Shika asked in her vivacious voice. "Yes, I did. We played together at the park! Minato-kun also got me flowers! I'll show Uncle Naruto!"

Shika announced happily and disappeared inside the house ignoring Naruto's calls. Shikamaru, on the other hand, stood tensely by the side. He did not like the idea of a boy, even a four year-old boy, giving flowers to his little angel.

Shika returned with the flowers in her hand proudly displaying them to Naruto.

"They are very nice, Shika-chan." Naruto said hurriedly but gently. "Where did Minato go after he gave you flowers?"

"Nowhere." Shika declared cheerfullly. "When Minato-kun gave me flowers, I said thank you, and kissed him like I've seen mommy do when she says thank you to us, and Minato-kun turned so red. He was like a tomato!"

Shikamaru grew deathly still. Then murderous rage coursed through his being. That little brat kissed his little girl! Unforgivable. Earlier, he was planning to help search for Minato because he was worried about the kid. Now, he decided, he would search for the urchin to kill him. Damn the Hokage!

"NARU — " Shikamaru started but was interrupted.

"And after that? What happened after that, Shika-chan?" Naruto urged on.

"Ummmm…." Shika scrunched her face recalling her day. "Uncle Kankuro came! He was angry. But he still said he will play with us!"

"And then?" Naruto had now gripped Shika's shoulders.

"Uncle Kankuro played with us! He let us play with his big dolls!" Shika replied merrily before she complained, "But Minato-kun got to play with the dolls more!"

"And then Shika-chan?" Naruto gripped Shika tighter making her writhe in discomfort.

"Naruto, let her go!" Shikamaru objected, fuming with rage.

"Uncle Kankuro said he will show us a magic trick and told Minato-kun to get in the fat doll. And when Minato-kun was inside the doll, he made the doll disappear! POOF! It was so good!" Shika answered sunnily unaware of the danger around her.

The instant the little girl made the innocent proclamation, the adults in the room grew very silent. Then a loud "Kankuro" rang through the house and a livid woman and an outraged Hokage cloaked in Nine-tails chakra moved to the inside of the house, their combined killer intent strong enough to induce terror in the most fearless hearts.

Shikamaru swiftly picked up his daughter to shield her from any harm. The events so innocuously related by her upset him greatly. He was already planning the penalty for the buffoon for the next time he met him. But more than anything, he was surprised that someone had stepped in to defend his precious princess.

Shikamaru never had a warm relationship with his brothers-in-law. Even after many years of marriage and three kids, he still kept an assortment of weapons next to his bed every time the Suna ninjas came over to visit. So, it was very surprising for him that he and his brothers-in-law held similar ideas when it came to Shika. Shikamaru smirked at his luck; he had just discovered an unexpected friend.

The Nara Clan Head carried his daughter back in to the room they had occupied earlier and resumed his activities which were interrupted by Naruto's arrival. He could hear several yells, screams, and groans from inside the house but he chose to ignore them. Even though he acknowledged the victim as his ally, Shikamaru did not deem it wise to help him right now. Besides, sometimes for the greater good, certain sacrifices were necessary.

As his son arranged the pieces for another Shogi match, he decided to talk to his brother-in-law to put aside their differences and form a much needed alliance. He was a smart man and, while his plan of producing associates was going well, he did not discount the benefit of having the two strongest assassins of Suna by his side. The genius smirked as he moved a piece in response to his son's attack. The Uzumaki brat's actions presented him with a very good opportunity and just for that, Shikamaru conceded that he will not kill the boy — not intentionally.

 **THE END**


	3. The Fan

Shikamaru stared intensely at the figure in front of him, his mind void of coherent thought. Teal eyes stared back at him full of excitement and anticipation. Everything had come to a standstill in the office of the Chief Advisor five minutes ago when two people allied to the Nara clan had entered the room.

The door to his office burst open and the Hokage came in boisterously.

"Oi! Shikamaru. About this latest mess—" Naruto paused in mid speech, and Shikamaru saw his friend's attention was captivated by Shikamaru's guests.

"AHHHH!" The blond Hokage yelled after a moment. "TEMARI SHRUNK!"

"That's Shika." Shikamaru said with a hint of resignation. He resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

He saw Naruto lean towards the shorter Nara. The blond's eyebrows were scrunched, his eyes squinted in concentration, and he wore a frown which indicated he was thinking hard about something. Shikamaru bit back a smirk. Some things never changed.

"Ah! It's Shika-chan!" Naruto said gleefully after a moment. He then turned to Shikamaru, "Why does she look like a mini Temari?"

"That's a good question." One that Shikamaru himself wanted answered.

The Nara Clan Head looked at his daughter who smiled up at him innocently. He automatically smiled in return. Her gold-tinted brown hair was tied in to four ponytails. One her forehead, bearing resemblance to the forehead protector, was a bandana with an ink drawing of the Konoha symbol. She wore a full-length, short-sleeved black kimono with long slits on the sides and a red sash around her middle. But what stunned Shikamaru the most was a folded fan that was as tall as his daughter and looked a lot like a smaller version of Temari's trademark fan.

"Che. Troublesome." He muttered. He did not want his daughter to be his wife's mini clone. Not that there was anything wrong with his wife; Temari was a very attractive woman which was precisely why he did not want his precious daughter looking that — ever. What bothered him most though, was that Shika was starting to display her preference of acting like her mother and he was not sure he could handle two Temaris.

"Ah. I apologize, Shikamaru-sama. Shika-sama was insisting on coming here and…well nothing could convince her otherwise." The harried Nara aide who accompanied his daughter said meekly.

"Aa. Don't worry about it." Shikamaru eased the man. He knew the only reason Temari was not here on this occasion was because something else had kept her away. It just meant that the conversation he wanted to have with her would be delayed for a few minutes.

"Naruto." He addressed his boss who was now kneeling and chatting happily with Shika. "Put whatever you wanted to talk to me about on hold. I have something to do before that."

"But this is important!" The blond objected while facing him. He pointed a finger at Shikamaru, "And you're still on duty!"

"Yeah," Shikamaru said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But this is urgent. I'll be back soon."

Before Naruto could interject with further objection, Shikamaru hurriedly signaled the Nara aide, called his daughter, and exited the room, leaving Naruto to wave back at his little girl.

He found Temari sitting crossed legs in the family room, enjoying her favorite Suna delicacy while their youngest son played nearby.

"Why does my daughter look like your mini clone?" Shikamaru asked as soon as he neared her.

Temari turned to look at him with surprise written on her face and the next bite halfway to her mouth. She stared at him for a moment. Then she calmly put down the morsel, called Shika over, and examined her from head to toe before replying, "Hmm…may be because she's my daughter too."

"But is it necessary to make her exactly like you?" Shikamaru asked with slight agitation.

"Shikaku is like you. You don't see me complaining. Though Heaven knows I should be." She replied returning to her food.

"I don't go out of my way to make him be like me." He retorted.

Temari shrugged. "She wanted to dress like a ninja. I just helped her out. Of course, she had her own preference as well."

"So you just handed her a smaller version of your fan that you had lying about?" He asked warily.

She turned her full attention on him and he noticed the eagerness in her eyes. "Isn't it good? It arrived today. I had it especially made for her from the same weapon shop in Suna that makes my fans."

Shikamaru ran a hand over his face. "Why couldn't you get her one of those smaller fans from here?"

"She already had a lot of them and loses interest in them very quickly. So I got her a custom made one." She said smugly.

"She'll hurt herself!" He exclaimed.

"Stop being so overprotective." Temari responded flippantly. "I asked it to be made child friendly. It's not as heavy or dangerous as my fan."

"Did you forget to tell them about the size?" He questioned.

"What about the size?" She asked in return. "It's right for Shika's size just like mine is made proportionate to my height."

"She is barely able to carry it!" He cried drawing attention to their little girl.

Shika was a few feet away from them trying to carry the large fan without stumbling. She paused and tried to unfold it as she had seen Temari do, but was unsuccessful. She placed the fan on the ground and made another attempt at spreading it open by going along its perimeter. Once the fan lay open on the floor, Shika tried to pick it up but no matter from which angle she tried, she was unable to do so.

Temari laughed. "Give her time. She just got it today. She'll figure it out in a few days."

"She'll get hurt in a few days!" Shikamaru retorted. "She's too young for that fan!"

Temari stared at him. After a while she said, "Well, if you're so against it, you do something about it. I'm not going to help you."

With that she turned her back to him and went back to eating her Suna dessert while enjoying her daughter's antics.

"Troublesome." He muttered and approached his daughter with the sole intention of doing as his wife suggested.

"Shika." He gently called out to the busy girl with a smile on his face.

"Daddy!" The little girl beamed up at him. "Daddy. Help lift the fan?"

"Ah. Shika. That fan is so big. It's very hard for you to pick up, right? How about daddy keep it for a while?" He asked with pleading note.

"No!" She replied vehemently. "It's Shika's fan."

"Yes, and daddy will give it back in a few days." Shikamaru coaxed.

"NO! It's mine! Mommy gave it to me." She replied obstinately, crossing her arms across her chest in an imitation of her mother.

"Please?" He tried again, this time picking up the fan and standing up so that it was beyond Shika's reach. "Daddy wants to play with it too."

"NO!" She yelled getting close to him speedily. "Give me my fan!"

When it became clear that no amount of pleading, jumping, or attempting to climb Shikamaru's leg would bring her closer to the fan, Shika unleashed her deadliest technique. It started simple, with her making large, teary eyes and wearing a hurt expression, but before Shikamaru could fully register the threat, it turned in to a full-fledged tantrum.

When her face was red and tear-stained from intense crying and no amount of cajoling, bribing, or pleading would cease her screaming, Shikamaru gave up and returned her fan. As soon as she secured her prize, his little hellion dragged it out of the family room — sobbing and hiccupping all the way — leaving him standing alone and his wife grinning at him arrogantly while chewing her favorite Suna treats.

'Che, troublesome' were his only words.

* * *

Despite his earlier disapproval of the fan, Shikamaru felt pride course through him a few days later when he noticed that his daughter had indeed managed to get the hang of it. She would still get unbalanced and stumble whenever she tried to carry it but now she was able to unfold it without having to put it down first. She was also able to poorly mimic her mother's action of swinging the unfolded fan. However, unlike the elder's, Shika's swing would only result in a small breeze which ended up being a reprieve from the summer heat instead of the deadly attack it was supposed to be.

Contrary to Shikamaru's expectations, instead of waning as was the norm with children, Shika's interest in the fan — and imitating her mother — grew with each passing day. She would dress up every morning in her 'ninja' clothes and spend the rest of the day acting like one. She even harassed Shikamaru one day to take her to the Hokage's office and when she stood in front of the busy Hokage's desk, she proudly declared, "I am Shika Nara. I am a Ninja. Give me a mission, Hokage-sama."

Naruto, who was busy signing papers, paused, looked down at the little girl from over his desk for a moment, and laughed heartily. When Shika expressed her displeasure with a pouty frown, Naruto humored her and gave her a small 'mission' snickering all the while. Satisfied, Shika self-importantly went about fulfilling the Hokage's orders. That evening, the Nara household had a very lively dinner while their only daughter described — in meticulous detail — the execution of her mission.

Shika braved every obstacle she faced while trying to copy her mother. She took great delight in mirroring the actions she had seen her mother perform on the larger fan and usually ignored any failure she encountered. It was on one such occasion when Shikamaru and Temari were alerted by a loud cry from the yard. Rushing to the scene of the incident, the couple found their only daughter standing on the lush, green grass with her fan spread open, wailing loudly as blood dripped from her thumb.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked alarmed with Temari beside him. "How did you get hurt?"

"I was calling Kamatari like mommy —" Shika sobbed "— but she didn't come and my thumb hurts!"

Temari held Shika's injured hand and hugged the little girl, trying to suppress a laugh while Shikamaru glared at his wife with a look that said he expected this. Once his beloved princess had calmed down with the help of her mother's gentle touch — after much coddling and coaxing — he took the opportunity and mentioned the issue that never left his mind. Yet, when he tried to make her give up the fan, he was rewarded with a heated 'NO' and an ear-splitting wail along with a murderous glare from his wife. With a few choice words that clearly conveyed her opinion of him, Temari led Shika inside, all the while trying to soothe their daughter and promising her that daddy will not take away her fan.

Shikamaru accepted the setback but did not give up on his self-appointed mission, and when scrapes and cuts kept appearing on his baby girl's delicate skin, he decided it was time to put his foot down. After all, with his incredible IQ and strategic prowess, how hard was it outwit a five year old? So one day, after Temari loving put another Band-Aid on Shika's forehead in his presence, he once again broached the taboo subject.

"Shika." He started in his usual laid back manner. "You have another Band-Aid on your forehead today. It hurts, doesn't it?"

The little girl looked up at him with her big, innocent eyes and shook her head.

"Did you get hurt while playing with the fan again?" He pressed.

Shika stayed silent for a moment before answering animatedly, "I was trying to go swoosh like mommy, but then I fell."

"Hmmm…well? Did you make a big swoosh?" He asked looking at her with a small smile.

"No." She replied, downcast.

"But you did get hurt so many times." He pointed out. "So, you see. The fan is dangerous. Let me have it and tomorrow we'll go buy you a new toy. Whichever one you like!"

"NO!" Shika howled. "It's my fan!"

"I know. I'll just borrow it for a little while. Let's get you a kunai tomorrow." He bribed.

"No!" She said stubbornly. "I don't want a kunai. I like this fan."

"Che." Shikamaru muttered. He tried a different approach, "Why do you want the fan so much?"

"Because it's like mommy's. I want to be strong like mommy!" She stated excitedly.

"But mommy isn't just strong because of the fan you know," he reasoned. "It's because she trained hard as a ninja. And she has a kunai too."

"Nuh uh!" She shook her head. "When mommy makes her fan go swoosh, everyone goes ouch!"

"Is that so?" He said with a sly grin. "But you don't know how to use the fan like that."

"I know how to use it!" She retorted zealously. She made gestures with her hands, "You open it like this, and you do swoosh, and people say ouch!"

"I see…" he said slowly in a smug tone. His plan was coming along nicely. "Ok. Let's make a deal. If you get one hit on me with your fan, I'll let you keep it. But if you can't do that, that means you don't know how to use the fan and you'll have to give it to me, OK?"

When Shika stared at him in confusion, he paraphrased, "Make me go ouch with your fan or I'll take it."

Shika thought for a little while and then retrieved her fan. She unfolded it with a little difficulty and readied her stance. Then she swung it, and a gentle breeze hit Shikamaru.

"Hmmm. Nothing." He said with a victorious grin. "Looks like I'll take the fan."

"NO! Once more!" She yelled at him urgently as he moved towards her with his hand extended.

Shikamaru looked at her pleading face and gave in. "OK. Once more."

She tried again and failed the second time as well.

"Still nothing." Shikamaru said haughtily and got up from his seat.

"Once more!" Shika shouted.

He paused. "We already di—"

"Once more!" Shika repeated forcefully with a determined face.

Shikamaru sighed but agreed for a third try.

The cycle repeated a few times until he said, "Now no more tries. You already had so many. A deal is a deal. Now, be a good girl and give me the fan."

He smiled in triumph and held out his hand as Shika folded her fan. Her increasing frustration was clearly visible on her innocent face. He watched as she stomped over to him, lifted her fan, and bonked him over the head.

"OWW!" He exclaimed more from the abruptness of the action than the damage.

In that moment, the Konoha genius witnessed his victory turn to defeat. He saw Shika's eyes widen in realization and a wide smile slowly replace her frown. And he knew; his treasured princess had figured out how to use her fan.

Shika 1. Daddy 0.

 **THE END**


End file.
